About Us
What You Need to Know About Our Charitable Organization
Esperanza Hope is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization that operates for charitable purposes. Every day, we are humbled and blessed to help less fortunate families from different communities. We strive to bring them hope and inspire them to have a positive vision of the future.
Our Purpose
The main goal in creating our charity was to help children in the poorest communities of the Dominican Republic. Just like Martin Luther King Jr., who once said: “I have a dream,” our group also has a dream — to help those who need us the most.
How We Started
In 2001, our founder, Wilda Gutierrez, traveled to the Dominican Republic to celebrate her daughter’s first birthday. Many kids from the neighborhood stumbled upon her party. They were so fascinated by the clothes she wore and the food, decorations, and entertainment at the venue.
Wilda realized that the local children were not used to seeing or having these things, which made her think about how blessed and privileged she was. She decided to give gifts to the kids in attendance because she felt that they needed these items more than her daughter did. The happiness in the children’s faces when they received their presents warmed her heart.
After that, she started doing small acts of kindness and volunteer work for the community. Her compassion led her to establish and officially register our charity organization in 2015.
Wilda Gutierrez Founder/President
Wilda Gutierrez is the Founder and Executive Director of Esperanza-Hope, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing hope, resources, and compassionate support to families and individuals facing difficult circumstances. A community leader, senior paralegal, Spanish interpreter, mother, daughter, grandmother, caregiver, and longtime volunteer, Wilda has devoted much of her life to serving others and creating opportunities for those who too often feel forgotten.
Born in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Wilda immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of eleven, arriving with the hopes and dreams shared by so many immigrant families seeking a better future. She received her primary education through the New York City school system and continued her education at the State University of New York at Morrisville. She also earned certification through the National Parent Leadership Institute and remains committed to continuing her education and personal development.
Wilda’s commitment to helping others is deeply rooted in her own life experiences. As a child, she and her brother experienced discrimination, ridicule, and exclusion because of their family’s economic circumstances. Having personally experienced hardship and knowing what it feels like to go without, Wilda developed a deep sense of compassion for children and families facing similar struggles. Rather than allowing those experiences to define her limitations, she transformed them into purpose.
Professionally, Wilda has built a career spanning more than two decades at Fay Law Associates, where she serves as a senior paralegal and Spanish interpreter. Her professional experience, combined with her years of community involvement and volunteer service, has strengthened her ability to advocate for individuals and families and to connect people with resources during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
After years of volunteering and serving her community, Wilda officially established Esperanza-Hope in 2015. What began as a desire to help families in need has grown into a 100% volunteer-based nonprofit organization serving communities throughout Rhode Island and children and families in underserved communities in the Dominican Republic.
Under Wilda’s leadership, Esperanza-Hope provides housing and utility assistance, food assistance and home grocery deliveries, monthly outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness, community giveaways, school supplies, winter coats and clothing, educational support, free art programs for children, Thanksgiving and Christmas assistance, and free community events for children and families. The organization also carries out humanitarian initiatives in the Dominican Republic, providing children and families with food, clothing, school supplies, toys, educational and recreational opportunities, and other essential resources.
For Wilda, Esperanza-Hope is about much more than providing material assistance. It is about treating every person with dignity, reminding families that they are not alone, and giving children hope regardless of their circumstances. She believes that meaningful change happens when compassion is transformed into action.
Wilda’s dedication to community service has been recognized by numerous organizations in Rhode Island, across the United States, and in her native Dominican Republic. In 2016, she received recognition from the White House during the administration of President Barack Obama for her dedication to the community. Her honors also include the Woman of Excellence Award for dedication and commitment to the less fortunate; the Kids Philippines, Inc. Award of Appreciation; the Extraordinary Woman Award from the Woman Development Institute; recognition from Liga Añeja Providence for her continued support of its basketball programs; recognition from Tarde de Té for her community work and dedication to children in the Dominican Republic; and recognition from Hope and Change for Haiti for her service to communities in Rhode Island and the Dominican Republic.
She has also been recognized by the City of Cranston during Hispanic Heritage Month for her contributions to the Hispanic community; by the Dominican Independence & Heritage Award Committee of Rhode Island for Outstanding Community Leadership Service; and by Nueva Generación Duartiana for her Community Leadership Service.
In 2026, Wilda was recognized by Hispanic Image Global as one of Rhode Island’s **25 Women of Legacy**, honoring her leadership, service, and contributions to the community. She has also received recognition from various institutions in the Dominican Republic for her humanitarian work and continued commitment to children, families, and underserved communities in the country where her own story began.
Beyond Esperanza-Hope, Wilda continues to collaborate with community organizations and leaders who share her commitment to service and strengthening communities.
Despite the recognition she has received, Wilda remains focused on the people behind the numbers, the parent struggling to keep a family housed, the individual experiencing homelessness who needs to know someone cares, the child receiving a backpack or winter coat, and the family able to celebrate a holiday during a difficult year.
Today, as a mother and grandmother, Wilda’s commitment to creating a better future for the next generation has taken on an even deeper meaning. Her journey continues to be guided by the experiences of the eleven-year-old immigrant girl who arrived in the United States with dreams for a better future and ultimately discovered that her greatest purpose was helping create hope and opportunity for others.
“What was once the dream of an immigrant girl seeking opportunity has become a life mission to open doors and create hope for thousands.”
Various Charity Work
Donating Basic Necessities and More
We give out essential items to disadvantaged children and homeless families every month, including:
Conducting Informative and Recreational Events
In partnership with local schools, small businesses, and other organizations, we conduct events for the children in the community, such as:
Providing Essential Items During Holidays
We have been providing disadvantaged families with baskets of goods on Thanksgiving Day and during the Christmas season.
Facing the COVID-19 Crisis Together
Esperanza Hope has seen the need to do more for the disadvantaged families in Rhode Island and other communities during the pandemic. We have stepped up to provide baskets full of essential items and help local homeless individuals who are struggling to obtain their food and other basic needs in shelters.
